Elon Musk's social media platform X has suspended the account of Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, who is a member of South Africa's National Assembly.
However, The New Republic reported that the reason for the suspension remains unclear, as X has not provided any statement regarding its decision to suspend Mandela's account.
Grandson of Nelson Mandela Supports the Palestinian Liberation
The suspension of the grandson of former South African President Nelson Mandela comes at a time when he has been actively advocating for Palestinian liberation. Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela reportedly spent the last week making multiple public appearances in support of Palestinian liberation.
He even quoted his grandfather ahead of his voyage aboard one of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition ships, which was sailing from Turkey to the war-torn Gaza Strip to provide more than 5,000 tons of aid to Palestinians.
In a speech posted on X Friday, Mandela emphasized his grandfather's view that the Palestinian struggle was "the greatest moral issue of our time."
"He made a commitment to the Palestinian people by saying that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinian people," he noted.
In a separate statement released on Thursday, Mandela said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition seeks to raise international awareness about "the atrocities, genocide and war crimes being committed against the people of Gaza."
However, the flotilla's departure has been delayed due to inspections prompted by an Israeli pressure campaign. Despite the organizers' assertions that the ships have passed inspections and are prepared to sail, the flotilla still needs to break through an Israeli blockade initially set in place in 2007.
X Suspends the Account of the Grandson of Nelson Mandela
The suspension of Zwelivelile Mandla Mandela's account raises questions about X's role in limiting political speech despite Elon Musk claiming to be a "free speech absolutist." The X owner has reinstated accounts that have been previously banned for alleged incitement of violence and propagation of misinformation.
However, the social media platform did not release a statement regarding its decision to restrict the South African politician's speech, so many questioned the timing.
Musk has reportedly once called Palestinians as "new generation of murderers" and he had expressed support on Israel's violence against the Palestinians.
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